Human Rights First condemns the Tverskoy District Court ruling to
uphold the decision of Moscow authorities to ban gay pride parades in
the city until May 2112. The Moscow City Hall has banned such events for
seven consecutive years, citing numerous letters from public officials,
religious organizations, and private citizens urging the authorities to
prohibit a demonstration. The European Court of Human Rights pronounced
these bans illegal in October 2010. (photo credit: Reuters)

"This unprecedented ban is not entirely surprising, but Russia's
society is evolving at a pace not even Vladimir Putin can control," said
Human Rights First's Innokenty Grekov. "More people are becoming
accepting and tolerant to LGBTI persons. The 100-year ban, along with
the discriminatory laws prohibiting "promotion of homosexuality" that
are spreading through local legislatures, show that the Russian government remains behind the times."

Putin better go back and study up on the Hegelian dialectic. It's hard to imagine a more animating event than a 100-year ban to throw at gays, their families and friends, and believers in democracy than such an absurd and comic ban.

I can see the G8 meeting protest rallies, the UN General Assembly events, the websites taunting Putin and his judges, and more. The gay crowd will harrass and torment and undermine and prevail over those trying to repress them. This ban is a gift.

This may become one of my favorite new causes as well. Russia -- strategically important, a key member of the UN P-5, a country America must work with on challenges ranging from Iran to Syria to global oil and energy issues, with a steady and mostly sensible foreign minister -- is increasingly becoming a farce among nations, its seriousness dissolving with idiotic gestures like this gay ban.